Poker Writer
YouTube journalist DJ Vlad called out Drake over the weekend, questioning whether the rapper and Stake ambassador really bets with his own money. The Canadian superstar made headlines recently after claiming to be down $8 million after wagering $125 million on sports bets in a single month.
DJ Vlad claimed in a post on X that Drake is lying about the bets, citing an anonymous source “high up” in the gambling industry. He also pointed out that some of Drake’s bets were large enough that they should have moved the line if they were real.
Drake is lying about taking $8M in losses on Stake.
I spoke to someone high up in the gambling business about it. Drake is a part owner of Stake, so when he makes these public “bets” he is really just using house money to make them. This is proven by the odds never changing…
— DJ Vlad (@djvlad) June 20, 2025
Drake has been an official partner with cryptocurrency betting platform Stake since 2022. He has publicized his sports betting and casino gaming since then. UFC fights have been the events he’s most fond of betting on, according to The Drake Curse, a site purporting to track his bets.
This new publicity over his bets came after one of his worst-ever losses, as he reported lost $600,000 betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder at -270 to beat the Indiana Pacers in the sixth game of the NBA Finals.
Drake said that he felt obligated to share “the dark” side of gambling and that his all-time losses were close to $20 million.
Drake shared that he lost a total of $19,986,337 gambling with Stake. ‘I gotta share the dark side of gambling.’ Thoughts? 👀😳💰 pic.twitter.com/GqJtPprPWO
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) June 19, 2025
DJ Vlad Accuses Drake of Playing With House Money
According to Vlad, Drake’s bets are essentially fake, using money supplied by Stake for his large bets and not risking any of his own. He notes that the odds don’t change even after Drake makes a large-scale bet, which would, in theory, change them if they were legitimate bets.
The thread on X produced a number of reactions, most of them negative. Some said that Drake is promoting a high-rolling lifestyle to people who do not have the means to risk the same amounts he does.
X user “DogNinja99” had this to say about Drake:
So you mean it’s all marketing to appeal to a younger audience so they can develop gambling addictions while he makes money on both the front and back ends? And people really want to debate whether he has a positive or negative influence in the culture.
Other responses were more cynical, expressing a lack of surprise that Drake’s relationship with Stake was already well-known. One of the replies on X by user “VocalPineapple” said:
We knew this already and this is why he isn’t a gambling addict but now yall have to tell the truth to spin a narrative. Everyone with Stake deals gets money specifically for bets, it’s like an arcade giving their advertisers free tokens to show off games and rates.
Drake’s partnership is not unique. Many celebrities have brand partnerships with gambling sites, including both regulated and unregulated ones. For instance, Jamie Foxx is with BetMGM and Kevin Hart is with DraftKings. Both have starred in commercials to promote bets and bonuses. Meanwhile, US-facing sweepstakes casinos have partnered with the likes of Ryan Seacrest and Paris Hilton.
UFC and hip-hop celebrities seem to intersect particularly heavily with offshore and cryptocurrency-based casinos however. For instance, Snoop Dogg works with the Australian operator Roobet and even has his own weed-themed crash game.
Image Credit: The Come Up Show
